Open Book
by StarsInTheDeep
Summary: She's always watching other's behavior. He's always watching his own. SHIELD told her that her mission would be difficult, but they didn't know she could read him like an open book. She had been doing so for years. BruceOC BrucexOC Bruce/OC
1. Bipolar?

**A\N: I apologize for the slow beginning, I promise next chapter will be much better!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Comics or any of their characters except my own!**

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"_Iced green tea for Lisa."**  
**_

Annalesia shook her news paper and folded her right leg over the left. The serene hum of the leisured coffee shop alleviated her nerves and aided her relaxation. She gazed at her surroundings dully before settling her eggplant colored eyes upon a middle aged man ordering his coffee.

He was fairly tall and rather pale with dirty blonde hair that looked ruffled from sleep. He wiped the sweat from his brow as he talked to the barista. He kept shifting his weight from one foot to the next. He kept his hands close to his chest and she watched him cracked his knuckles, trying to figure out what he wanted to eat. He continued to do so, even after all the joints had been sufficiently popped. Her head tilted to the right as she observed his anxious tendency. She eyed his shoulders flexing as the cashier asked him to recur himself. His eyes closed a moment longer than blinking and he took a breath before repeating his order.

"Anger issues; insomnia, maybe?" Anna whispered under her breath as he shuffled away from the counter and sat down three tables away from her. She watched his left foot impatiently tapping while waiting for his food. When her eyes traveled back up to his face, he was staring at her. _I got caught. _His eyebrows were furrowed and he gave a spiteful look.

"What are you looking at?" he sneered. Anna noticed him clenching and unclenching his fists. "Mind your own business." She unfolded her legs and refolded them, left over right.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to stare." She easily put on a surprised, regretful face, dramatically placing a hand over her heart. "I was just wondering what brand your shoes were; do they happen to be Kenneth Cole?" His entire personality seemed to change as Anna pointed to his footwear.

"Actually, I think they are." He mused, now relaxed and completely calm. _Bipolar disorder._

"I was thinking about buying my boyfriend some for his birthday," Anna lied easliy. "How do you like them?"

"Good enough," He offered before being called away by the employee to gather his purchases. He then hustled out the door.

"Geez," She sighed. "Don't people say goodbye anymore?"

"I do. I also try to always say hello too." She folded her newspaper and placed it on the table.

"Good morning." Anna greeted the man across from her with quirked brows. "I haven't seen you in a while, Phil."

"How have you been doing, Anna?" Phil smiled softly.

"I've been good. Yourself?" She scooted her chair closer to the table and placed her hands in her lap.

"Good, good." He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.

"Phil, cut to the chase. I know you aren't here to idly chat," She peeked at him over her reading glasses. "You know how simple it is for me to read you. Sweating, averted eyes, adjusting tie, licking lips; you're tense."

"Should've known I couldn't outsmart you," He laughed dryly. "We," He paused. "SHEILD," he corrected. "Needs you to come in," Her eyebrows rose and she instinctively leaned forward.

"How can I be of use to you?" Anna didn't understand why they would need her in the first place. "Do I need to strip down the mental physique of some poor soul in order for SHEILD to get the information they require?" She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms.

"No, you're more of a precaution for us this time," He informed her. "Your other _skills_, on the other hand, might be useful in one way or another, but we only need you for one duty this time," He tilted his head and clasped his hands on the table. "One of your former clients will be helping us this time and you know how to handle his-"

"What is SHIELD doing that is so_ important_ that they needed to take Bruce out of the stable life that he had created for himself?" Anna sighed and ran a hand through her bistre colored hair. "And he wasn't a client, Phil, he was a _friend_. Plus, it's been _years_ since I've seen him!" She defended hurriedly. "You should just leave him alone." She bit her lip and looked down at her hands before returning her gaze to his. "He's probably changed too. I'm afraid I won't be able to help," She looked to her left, out the window.

"I didn't think bringing him up would make you so defensive," Phil laughed. "I didn't even get a chance to explain the mission to you before you went off." He smiled warmly at her. "You talk so fast whenever he's the subject. Plus, he hasn't really changed much to my knowledge."

"Well, it's not like we parted on the best terms, Phil. Also, it's kind of difficult to decide something that was just thrown at you," Anna retorted rudely. She paused and regretted her words. "I'm sorry, Phil. I shouldn't shoot the messenger, I just… don't know." The two of them kept quiet for a while.

"Anna," Phil began softly, awkwardly reaching across the table to pat her hand, "The world is in danger and SHIELD needs your help to keep it safe." She sighed and rubbed her eyes, glancing away tiredly. She considered her options for a moment and then stared back at him.

"When do we leave?"

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**A\N: I hope you liked it!**


	2. Here We Are

**A\N: Thank you to all the reviewers! I really appreciate all your support!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Comics or any of their characters except my own**

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"You're Ms. Vang?" Fury's voice boomed through the metal chambers in the bridge of the helicarrier. Anna confidently nodded to him despite how small she felt in comparison. She took his extended hand and gave him a firm handshake just like her father had taught her.

"I assume you are Director Fury?" She clasped her hands behind her back and gave him a smile.

"You've got that right. I trust that Agent Coulson has filled you in?" He glanced at a monitor to his right and one handedly typed something in.

"To an extent," She spoke watching his hand type. "I understand the current situation, but I'm a little confused as to why I am here."

"Well, as I'm sure you're fully aware, Dr. Banner is aboard and helping us locate the Tesseract." Anna watched him flex the muscles in his hand and rub the knuckle joints a bit. She nodded, signaling for him to continue. "I understand that you have experience dealing with Dr. Banner's… emotions." Fury didn't quite know how to categorize Banner's temper tantrums. "You seem to be the most likely candidate to be here and keep him calm," He began to smile a bit and laughed. "And I've heard that you've actually stopped the beast before."

"Oh, he hadn't completely changed," Anna modestly defended. "The story changes every time someone tells it," She chuckled lightly. "It went different if you were actually there, but yes. I suppose I helped reverse the changes."

"Either way, that is impressive to say the least. On the other hand, you might be of use in other ways. I'm mindful to you specialties in the psycho-kinesis field." Anna tensed a bit.

"I… haven't really tapped into those powers in a long while," She sounded regretful as she looked away. She expected him to be angry, but she heard a laugh in response.

"Then you better start brushing up," Fury flashed a toothy smile at her and turned back around. She assumed she was dismissed.

"Excuse me, Ms. Vang?" She swiveled around and came face to face with a woman clad in a black jumpsuit. The woman pushed her auburn hair out of her face. "I'm Natasha Romanoff; I can show you where Dr. Banner is working. Follow me." She nodded, but halted and looked back at Fury.

"Thank you, Fury," she paused. "And you should really have a doctor look at that developing arthritis." He smirked to himself as the two left the bridge.

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The pair stopped outside a sliding glass door and after Natasha told her that Tony Stark was inside as well, she took off down an adjacent hallway. Anna hesitantly stepped inside the laboratory. Tony was the first to notice her presence.

"And what do we have here?" Tony smirked at her and began walking closer. Catching his attention, Bruce looked up and followed Tony's gaze to the girl standing timidly by the entrance.

"Annalesia…" He whispered under his breath, eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. Stark's eyes snapped at him and back to Anna in realization. A look of recognition swept over his face and he happily sauntered over and shook her hand.

"Annalesia Vang! It's _fantastic_ to meet you. As I'm sure you know, I'm Tony Stark," He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her into the lab. "I read your file, missy, and I must say; you must be the greatest behavioral specialist I've come to know," He shook her hand as she stood there a little dumbfounded. She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or serious.

"Well, it's an honor to meet you, and I'm glad you're a fan of my work?" She offered, uncertain.

"Then again, I don't know many other behavioral specialists," Tony mumbled whilst scratching his beard thoughtfully. It seemed Bruce was finally able to organize his mind and he circled the counter, standing in front of her.

"Annalesia," He breathed while he looked her over. A sense of nostalgia washed over him as he observed her smiling at him. She had changed so much since the last time he had seen her. Her hair had grown at least a foot longer, now resting at her chest, and appeared a couple shades darker. She was no longer short and chubby like previously. She grew a couple inches in height and lost a couple on her waistline. He could hardly take his eyes off her curves, but the one thing that caught his eye and held it was her energetic eyes staring into his.

"How have you been, Bruce?" She asked softly while staring at the man she hadn't seen in ages. It seemed despite the few wrinkles on his face and the scattered grey hairs, the years had been good to him. He still had adorable puppy-dog eyes and the scruff on his face that she loved so much. His voice was deeper and just as soothing and she couldn't stop looking into his expressive eyes, despite his constant lack of eye contact. He appeared slightly helpless when they finally held each other's gaze as he placed his hands on her shoulder. She gently covered his right hand with hers. "I've missed you," She murmured.

Suddenly Bruce tore away from her and rubbed his side. "Ow!" He stared at Tony like he was crazy. Anna covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"Really? Nothing?" Tony asked incredulously staring intently at Bruce as he relaxed, rubbing a hand over his mouth and chin. Anna had noticed that habit of his many years ago.

"_Hey!_" Suddenly a man stormed in wearing a uniform covered in red, white, and blue. Anna assumed that it was the renowned Captain America. His blonde hair was combed neatly to one side and his sapphire eyes shot daggers at Tony. Bruce stepped away from me, scratching the back of his neck and turned his attention to the Captain. "Are you _nuts_?"

"Jury's out." Tony said to him before returning his attention to Bruce who still gave little eye contact. "You really have got a lid on it, haven't you?" He took a step back, toying with the instrument he had prodded Bruce with. "What's your secret? Mellow Jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?" Captain gave him a spiteful look.

"Is everything a joke to you?" He spat angrily, taking a threatening step forward.

"Funny things are," Tony's nonchalant retort just made him more upset.

"Threatening the safety on everyone on this ship isn't funny," he began gravely before nodding in the doctor's direction. "No offense towards you, Doc."

"Oh no, it's alright," Bruce defended, while returning to his place behind the counter. "I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle…" He looked towards Tony. "Pointy things."

"And now," Anna cut in awkwardly, "I can also help ensure that _everyone_, not _just_ Bruce, is calm and stays in a stress free environment." She beamed at the three men who just managed to stare blankly at her for a second.

"I don't believe we've met, ma'am," the Captain remarked. "I'm Steve Rogers."

"I'm Anna Vang," She spoke securely and offered him her hand. He looked uncertain before taking her hand and giving it a steady shake. "I'm a human behavioral specialist and here to work with the team. It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasures all mine," He flashed Anna an award winning smile and she did her best to return it. "And _you,_" Steve spun around and glared at Tony once again. "_You_ should be focusing on the problem."

"What do you think I'm doing? Don't you think it's odd that Fury called us in now? Why not before?" Tony set Steve with a harsh look. "What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables." Tony slid to the side and grabbed a shiny silver pouch of dried blueberries.

"You think he's hiding something?" Steve asked accusingly. Anna trotted over and perched herself next to Bruce as the two quarreled.

"He's a _spy_," Tony said as if he was talking to the stupidest person in the world. "He's _the_ spy," Tony scoffed. "His secrets have secrets." Anna smiled and laughed softly. "Its bothering him too, isn't it?" Tony shot a glance towards Bruce. He had an adorable 'deer-in-headlights' expression. Nervously, he looked down and pretended to work, biting his lip slightly.

"I, uh, just want to finish my work here and…" He ran a hand through his hair and Anna smiled at his awkward manor.

"Doctor," Steve said firmly giving the man a questioning glace. Anna sat patiently and watched the three men debate over the authenticity of the information given to them by SHIELD. She didn't want to interject, not knowing much on the topic, so she watched intently and picked up on certain statements until Steve got flustered, not wanting to admit his distrust, and stormed out.

"Will he be okay?" Anna muttered, frowning in the direction he left. Tony rolled his eyes and began to work again. Bruce and Anna's eyes met for a split second before he shyly looked away. She softly smiled and ran a hand through her hair, yawning and settled into a stool before starting a slow conversation with the two men.

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**A\N: I hope you liked it!**


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